Hybrid residual-based hierarchical storage and display method for high resolution digital images in a multiuse environment

ABSTRACT

An image processing method is described for the hierarchical storage and display of high resolution digital images in a multiuse environment. The method makes reduced resolution versions of the original image available for quick display on video monitors while providing access to the full resolution image for photographic quality hardcopies. This multiresolution method also provides for the efficient storage of this data via a hybrid coding scheme based on residuals. Several embodiments of this approach are described.

This is a division, of application Ser. No. 442,872 filed Nov. 29, 1989.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a method of storing and displayingdigital images and more particularly to a multiresolution method whichmakes available reduced resolution versions of original images for quickdisplay and full resolution original images for making photographicquality hardcopies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An image processing method will be described for the efficient storageand display of high resolution digital images in a multiuse environment.A multiuse environment is one where the user has the option of selectingthe type of display medium and the desired resolution on this medium. Inparticular, two types of display media are considered: video monitorsand color hardcopies, through photographic, thermal imaging, or othermeans. Versions of an original digital image are made available atvarious resolutions to allow for the display of an HDTV quality image onvideo, an NTSC quality image with PAL/SECAM compatibility on video, anda sub-NTSC quality image on video, as well as a very high quality imageon color hardcopy. However, it is important to note that the techniquesdescribed herein are not limited to these display media or resolutions.

The present invention uses a multiresolution or hierarchical structuringof the image data to allow for rapid access to the various imageformats. It is also desirable to encode this hierarchical image data inan efficient manner so as to reduce the storage requirements on adigital storage media, e.g., optical discs or magnetic tape, and toallow for the rapid transfer of the image data from the storage media tothe output device. Furthermore, it is desirable to minimize the hardwarerequired to implement such a system. In particular, it is desirable tominimize the hardware required to access the lower resolution imagesalong with its cost. Systems which use a hierarchical structuring of theimage data are often termed progressive transmission since they allowimage quality to be progressively refined; however, they are generallynot designed specifically for a multiuse environment.

PRIOR ART

A number of hierarchical structures for image coding and/or progressivetransmission have been described in the open technical literature and invarious patents. Of particular relevance to the present invention arethe following publications:

P. J. Burt and E. H. Adelson, "The Laplacian Pyramid as a Compact ImageCode," IEEE Trans. Commun., COM-31, 532-540 (1983).

A. C. Luther, "Digital Video in the PC Environment," McGraw-Hill BookCompany, New York, 81-84 (1989).

and the following patents:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,394, entitled "Multiplexed Real-Time Pyramid SignalProcessing System", by Bessler et al., 11/24/87.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,125, entitled "Real-Time Hierarchical Pyramid SignalProcessing Apparatus", by Carlson et al., 6/16/87.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,104, entitled "Filter-Subtract-Decimate HierarchicalPyramid Signal Analyzing and Synthesizing Technique", by Anderson,1/5/88.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,869, entitled "Image Processing System and Method",by Itoh et al., 7/28/87.

Referring to FIG. 1, the publication by Burt et al. teaches an encodingmethod for images termed the Laplacian pyramid, the Burt pyramid, or theresidual pyramid. In this technique, the original image G₀ is lowpassfiltered (LPF), and this lowpass image is subsampled to take advantageof its reduced bandwidth to provide the image G₁. This process oflowpass filtering and decimation is repeated three times to generate ahierarchical structure, or pyramid, of images (G₀, G₁, G₂, and G₃) ofsuccessively smaller dimensions. Although four resolution levels areshown, more or less can be used, depending on the application. Eachlowpass image in this pyramid is then expanded to the dimensions of thenext higher level by upsampling (inserting zeros) and filtering to forma prediction image for that level. This prediction image is subtractedfrom its corresponding lowpass image in a subtractor to generatedifference, or residual, images L₀, L₁, and L₂. At the final level, theresidual image is defined to be equivalent to the lowpass image, i.e.,L₃ =G₃. The residual images corresponding to the levels of the lowpasspyramid form another pyramid which is termed the Laplacian, Burt, orresidual pyramid. This technique is motivated by the fact that theresidual images have a reduced variance and entropy compared to theoriginal or lowpass images and may be quantized and entropy encoded toprovide efficient storage of the data. The encoded residuals are denotedL₀, L₁, L₂, and L₃. Reconstruction is performed by interpolating thedecoded lowpass image at the bottom of the lowpass pyramid and adding inthe corresponding decoded residual to generate the next level in thelowpass pyramid. This process is iterated until the original image sizeis reached; the decoding process is illustrated in FIG. 2. A progressiveimprovement in reconstructed image quality and resolution can thus beobtained by displaying the reconstructed lowpass filtered image at eachlevel of the pyramid, i.e., G₃, G₂, G₁, and G₀. Note that errorsintroduced in the encoding process are propagated from one level to thenext higher level in the decoding process.

The patent to Anderson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,104) teaches a modificationof the Burt pyramid scheme in which the lowpass filtered image issubtracted directly from the image at the previous level and thensubsampled; it is not subsampled and interpolated prior to subtractionas in the Burt pyramid. This technique is termed thefilter-subtract-decimate (FSD) pyramid. The primary advantage of thistechnique is a reduction in the hardware required to generate thepyramid.

The patents to Bessler et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,394) and Carlson etal. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,125) teach specific real-time implementationsof the Burt pyramid or the FSD pyramid.

The patent to Itoh et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,869) essentially teachesthe method of the Burt pyramid, albeit for the specific case of themultiuse scenario. The main advancement in the patent to Itoh et al.seems to be specific methods for forming the prediction image used togenerate the residual image and methods for encoding the residual,particularly for the case of binary images.

There are two primary limitations in using the techniques described inthe prior art for a multiuse environment:

To reconstruct the lowpass signal at a given resolution level, all lowerresolution images must be reconstructed first. This requires substantialhardware and processing time.

The techniques require quantization of the hierarchical image data toachieve significant compression. If the hierarchy contains many levelsof resolution (as is required in the multiuse scenario), significantdegradation may occur at the highest resolution level owing topropagation of quantization noise. Therefore, the prior art techniquesare undesirable.

In contrast, the to be disclosed system fills the need for very highquality at the highest resolution level (for hardcopies of photographicquality) while providing efficient access to images at lower resolutionlevels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these limitations by using a hybridscheme which permits fast reconstruction of the lower resolution imageswith relatively simple hardware while yielding very high reconstructionquality at the highest resolution level. Furthermore, the imagehierarchy can still be encoded efficiently, i.e., at a low bit rate, andis stored in such a manner that it can be accessed efficiently whenbeing read from the storage medium. In essence, the proposed techniqueuses the residual pyramid to provide efficient storage of the higherresolution levels combined with other techniques for the lowerresolution levels to satisfy the system requirement of fast access tothese lower levels. It is assumed the image data is encoded using anentropy coding technique such as Huffman coding or Q-coding, although itmay be advantageous in some cases to store the data without entropycoding to provide immediate access to these records. The data may alsobe quantized prior to encoding, or it may be encoded in a losslessmanner, i.e., without quantization. To some extent, the present methodeffectively decouples the lower resolution images from the higherresolution images to prevent the propagation of quantization noise fromthe lower levels and to provide quick access to the lower resolutionimages.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that it is a primary object of thepresent invention to provide a method for storing and displaying digitalimages with selectable multiresolution levels.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hierarchicalstorage and display method which minimizes hardware requirements,storage space, and cost.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become moreapparent when taken in conjunction with the following description anddrawings wherein like characters indicate like parts and which drawingsform a part of the present description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a prior art pyramid residualimage encoder method.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a prior art pyramid residualimage decoder method.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hierarchical storage anddisplay method.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention using aresidual pyramid with progressive partitioning.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the progressive partitioning of afull resolution image into lesser resolution images.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention using aresidual pyramid with progressive partitioning.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention usinga residual pyramid with direct access to multiresolution images.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention usinga residual pyramid with direct access to multiresolution images.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention using aresidual pyramid with CD-I compatibility.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention using aresidual pyramid with CD-I compatibility.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the color conversion method.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating an alternate method for thedecoder and reconstruction portion of a third preferred embodiment ofthe present invention for chrominance signals.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating the decomposition and encoderportion of a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating the decoder and reconstructionportion of a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention forchrominance signals.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating an alternate method for thedecoder and reconstruction portion of a fifth preferred embodiment ofthe present invention for chrominance signals.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description of the preferred embodiments, it will beassumed that the highest resolution image is composed of 2048×3072pixels and that this resolution is adequate to produce photographicquality originals on an appropriate digital output device. It is alsoassumed that the lowest resolution level is composed of 256×384 pixelsand that this resolution is adequate for preliminary, but relatively lowquality, display on an NTSC-quality video monitor. The other resolutionlevels are 512×768 pixels for high quality display on an NTSC-qualityvideo monitor and 1024×1536 for high quality display on proposed HDTVvideo monitors. These resolutions will be denoted as 256 (for 256×384),512 (for 512×768), 1K (for 1024×1536), and 2K (for 2048×3072) forconvenience. The basic diagram for the hierarchical storage and displaymethod is illustrated in FIG. 3. However, it is important to note thatthe invention is not limited to these resolutions or output devices.Indeed, many variations with other resolutions and output devices may beused, and these resolutions may not necessarily be related to each otherby some power of two as the previously described resolutions are(assuming some form of interpolation is available.) In addition, thenumber of resolution levels and the type of decomposition at each levelmay vary to some extent, yet still be consistent with the describedembodiments. The embodiments are first described in general terms for asingle channel image, i.e., one-color or luminance image, and thenfurther embodiments are described for the case of three-channel colorimages.

1. Residual Pyramid with Progressive Partitioning

In the first embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, the 2K image isdecomposed into a residual pyramid consisting of a 512 base image, a 1Kresidual, and a 2K residual. To further decompose the 512 image, aseparate technique is used whereby the 512 image is decomposed into four256 images by subsampling the original 512 image in a staggered fashionas shown in FIG. 5. We term this technique progressive partitioning. Theinformation to be stored is then composed of the four 256 partitionedimages (which can be used to reconstruct the 512 image) and the 1K and2K residuals. The residuals can then be used to reconstruct the 1K imageand the 2K image. The reconstruction process is illustrated in FIG. 6.This technique is motivated by the following:

The 256 partitioned images can be created and displayed without anyspecial/additional hardware.

The 512 image can be built up and displayed in a progressive mannerwithout any special hardware using one or more of the 256 partitionedimages. Also, since the 256 images are direct subsamples of the 512image, the reconstruction of the 512 image can be done without theaddition of any quantization noise in excess of what it originallycontained.

The lowest resolution image is effectively decoupled from the higherresolution images to minimize the propagation of quantization noise tothe higher levels.

This technique is efficient in terms of nonredundant storage of theimage data, and the use of the residuals still allows for significantimage compression.

2. Residual Coding with Direct Access to 256 and 512 Images

In the second embodiment, direct access is provided to both the 256 and512 images, i.e., no progressive partitioning is used. In this approach,the 2K image is decomposed into a residual pyramid consisting of a 512base image, a 1K residual, and a 2K residual. The 512 image is notdecomposed into 256 images using progressive partitioning, but is merelyprefiltered and subsampled to create a 256 image suitable for display.This process is shown in FIG. 7. The information to be stored consistsof the 256 image, the 512 image, the 1K residual, and the 2K residual.The residuals can be used to reconstruct the 1K and 2K images. Thereconstruction process is illustrated in FIG. 8. The advantages of thisapproach are:

The 256 and 512 images are directly available for display with nospecial hardware or filtering operations, while the use of residuals forthe higher resolution images still allows for significant imagecompression.

The lower resolution images are more completely decoupled from the 2Kimage so that very high fidelity can be achieved at the 2K level.

The 512 image is prefiltered prior to subsampling which allows forhigher quality in the 256 image as compared to progressive partitioning.The tradeoff with this approach is that additional storage is requiredsince the 256 image is redundant to the 512 image.

3. Residual Pyramid with CD-I Compatibility

Referring to FIG. 9, the third embodiment uses a residual pyramid, butalso incorporates the Philips CD-I (Compact Disc-Interactive) real-timevideo data format (as referenced in the publication by A. C. Luther inPrior Art) at the 256 and 512 levels in order to provide compatibilitywith this format. The 2K image is decomposed into a residual pyramidconsisting of a 512 image, a 1K residual, and a 2K residual. The 512image is then lowpass filtered and subsampled to form a 256 base imageas in the previous embodiment. However, the technique differs in theencoding of the 256 base image and the 512 image in order to becompatible with the CD-I format. The 256 base image is encoded using theCD-I encoding scheme, namely, differential pulse code modulation (DPCM),rather than an entropy coding technique as was used in the otherembodiments. This 256 image is then decoded with the CD-I decoder andinterpolated to the dimensions of the 512 image, forming a 512prediction image. A 512 residual image is formed by subtracting thisprediction image from the 512 image. The 512 residual image is firstencoded using the CD-I "extended resolution" format which is a 7-bitquantization of the residual. A secondary 512 residual is then formed asthe difference between the original 512 residual and the 7-bit CD-Iresidual. The information to be stored thus consists of the CD-I 256base image, the CD-I 512 extended resolution residual, the 512 secondaryresidual, the 1K residual, and the 2K residual images. Thereconstruction decoding process is illustrated in FIG. 10. The advantageof this technique is the compatibility with the CD-I format at the 256and 512 levels.

Of substantial interest is how the described embodiments may be extendedto handle images that are composed of more than one-channel,specifically, three-channel color images. The direct approach is toencode each channel in the same manner, using one of the describedembodiments. However, it is possible with some color spaces to achieve asubstantial savings in storage requirements by subsampling the data toexploit the reduced bandwidth of the human visual system in certaincolor channels. Thus, it may be advantageous to encode each colorchannel in a different manner. In describing the apparatus used toencode such color signals, we assume that the three-color signal iscomprised of a luminance signal, Y, and two chrominance signals, C₁ andC₂. These signals may be acquired directly from devices designed tooutput such color signals, or they may be generated by converting red(R), green (G), and blue (B) color signals supplied by a colortelevision camera. The color conversion to Y, C₁, and C₂ is a lineartransformation of the R, G, and B signals, and hence an inverse colorconversion from Y, C₁, and C₂ to R, G, and B is also a lineartransformation. The color conversion apparatus is illustrated in FIG.11. An example of the luminance/chrominance conversion from R, G, and Bsignals is the NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) YIQconversion given by the following equations.

    Y=0.299R+0.587G+0.114B

    I=C.sub.1 =0.596R-0.273G-0.322B

    Q=C.sub.2 =0.212R-0.522G+0.315B

The chrominance signals C₁ and C₂ may also be simple color differencesignals such as R-Y and B-Y, for example. We define the color conversionto be of these forms or their like.

It is well-known that the human visual system has a reduced bandwidthfor the chrominance signals as compared to the luminance signal, andthus a substantial savings in storage can be achieved by subsampling thechrominance signals, C₁ and C₂ relative to the luminance signal Y.Typical subsampling factors for C₁ and C₂ relative to Y at a givenresolution level are 2 or 4. It may be advantageous to prefilter thechrominance signals prior to subsampling to reduce aliasing artifacts.In the following discussion and drawings, it is assumed that theluminance signal is encoded using one of the embodiments describedpreviously. Also, the embodiments are shown for only one chrominancesignal, and it is understood that C₁ and C₂ may be encoded using thesame method or possibly differing methods to take advantage of eachsignal's specific characteristics. To provide compatibility with thePhilips CD-I format, any of the preferred embodiments for chrominancesignals may be modified by using DPCM encoding and decoding of the 256base image.

In a first embodiment for chrominance signals, the apparatus of FIG. 12is used for decomposition and encoding. The chrominance information tobe stored consists solely of a 256 base image for each chrominancesignal. To reconstruct images at the various resolution levels, theapparatus of FIG. 13 is used. This embodiment has the advantage ofrequiring a minimal amount of storage space for the chrominance signalsand requiring only an interpolation process to generate the chrominancesignals at higher resolution levels. A limitation of this method is thatchrominance errors may be introduced at the higher resolution levels.

In a second embodiment for chrominance signals, the apparatus of FIG. 14is used for decomposition and encoding. The chrominance information tobe stored consists of a 256 base image and a 512 residual. Images arereconstructed using the apparatus of FIG. 15. This method improvesreconstructed quality at the 512, 1K, and 2K levels compared to thefirst embodiment while still providing significant compression of thechrominance signals.

In a third embodiment for chrominance signals, the apparatus of FIG. 16is used for decomposition and encoding. The chrominance information tobe stored consists of a 256 base image and a 1K residual. Images can bereconstructed using the apparatus of FIG. 17 or by using the apparatusof FIG. 18 where the 512 chrominance signal is generated by subsamplingthe reconstructed 1K chrominance signal. This method improvesreconstructed quality at the 1K and 2K levels compared to the secondembodiment.

In a fourth embodiment for chrominance signals, the apparatus of FIG. 19is used for decomposition and encoding. The chrominance information tobe stored consists of a 256 base image, a 512 residual image, and a 1Kresidual image. Images are reconstructed using the apparatus of FIG. 20.The advantage of this embodiment over the third embodiment is that it isnot necessary to reconstruct the 1K image first before the 512 image canbe computed (since the 512 image is reconstructed by adding a 512residual to an interpolated 256 image.) The disadvantage is theadditional storage required as compared to the third embodiment.

In a fifth embodiment for chrominance signals, the apparatus of FIG. 21is used for decomposition and encoding. The chrominance information tobe stored consists of a 256 base image and a 2K residual. Images arereconstructed using the apparatus of FIG. 22 or by using the apparatusof FIG. 23 where the 512 and 1K chrominance signals are generated bysubsampling the 2K reconstructed signal. This method provides very highquality at the 2K level compared to the other embodiments, and stillprovides good quality at the 512 and 1K levels since the chrominancesignals at these levels can be generated from a higher resolutionsignal. Since residuals for the 512 and 1K levels are not stored, thisapproach provides some compression over a full residual pyramidapproach.

While there has been shown what are considered to be the preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be manifest that many changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the essentialspirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, in the annexedclaims, to cover all such changes and modifications as may fall withinthe true scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A hierarchical storage method for color images comprisingthe steps of:(a) forming a digital representation of the image whereineach pixel in said representation is associated with three color values;(b) combining the three color values for each pixel using a colormatrixing procedure to form a luminance image and two chrominanceimages; (c) decomposing said luminance image according to the followingsteps:1. lowpass filtering and subsampling said luminance image to forma lower resolution luminance image;
 2. 2. interpolating said lowerresolution luminance image to the dimensions of the higher resolutionluminance image to form a prediction image;3. subtracting saidprediction image from the higher resolution luminance image to form aluminance residual image;
 4. encoding and storing said luminanceresidual image;
 5. creating a plurality of encoded and stored luminanceresidual images of different resolutions by iterating steps 1, 2, 3, and4 where the input to the lowpass filtering and subsampling operation ateach iteration is the lower resolution luminance image formed in theprevious iteration; and
 6. further decomposing the lowest resolutionluminance image formed in step 5 into a plurality of lower resolutionimages according to the following steps:subsampling the even-numberedpixels on the even-numbered lines to create a first partitioned image;subsampling the odd-numbered pixels on the even-numbered lines to createa second partitioned image; subsampling the even-numbered pixels on theodd-numbered lines to create a third partitioned image; and subsamplingthe odd-numbered pixels on the odd-numbered lines to create a fourthpartitioned image; (d) encoding and storing said partitioned images; (e)decomposing a first of said chrominance images according to thefollowing steps:
 1. lowpass filtering and subsampling said chrominanceimage to form a lower resolution chrominance image; and2. iterating step1 under the dimensions of said lower resolution chrominance image areequal to the dimensions of said partitioned images where the input tothe lowpass filtering and subsampling operation at each iteration is thelower resolution chrominance image formed in the previous iteration; (f)encoding and storing the lowest resolution chrominance image formed in(e); and (g) repeating (e) and (f) for said second chrominance image tocreate, encode, and store a second lowest resolution chrominance image.2. A hierarchical storage method according to claim 1 and furthercomprising the steps of:(a) interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of a corresponding higher resolutionchrominance image to form a prediction image; (b) subtracting saidprediction image from said higher resolution chrominance image to form achrominance residual image; (c) encoding and storing said firstchrominance residual image; and (d) repeating (a), (b), and (c) for saidsecond lowest resolution chrominance image to create, encode, and storea second chrominance residual image.
 3. A hierarchical storage methodaccording to claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:(a)interpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image to thedimensions of a corresponding higher resolution chrominance image toform a prediction image; (b) subtracting said prediction image from saidhigher resolution chrominance image to form a chrominance residualimage; (c) creating a first set of chrominance residual images ofdifferent resolutions by iterating the following steps:applying (a) oneor more times on the higher resolution chrominance image used in theprevious iteration to form a prediction image; and applying (b) whereinsaid prediction image is subtracted from the higher resolutionchrominance image of the same dimensions as said prediction image; (d)encoding and storing said first set of chrominance residual images; and(e) repeating (a), (b), (c) and (d) for said second lowest resolutionchrominance image to create, encode, and store a second set ofchrominance residual images.
 4. A hierarchical display method accordingto claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:retrieving and decodingone of said partitioned luminance images; retrieving and decoding saidfirst lowest resolution chrominance image; retrieving and decoding saidsecond lowest resolution chrominance image; combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; and displayingsaid color image.
 5. A hierarchical display method according to claim 4and further comprising the steps of:retrieving and decoding at least oneof the remainder of said partitioned luminance images; combining all ofsaid retrieved partitioned images to form a higher resolution luminanceimage; forming a first higher resolution chrominance image byinterpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image to thedimensions of said higher resolution luminance image; forming a secondhigher resolution chrominance image by interpolating said second lowestresolution chrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolutionluminance image; combining the luminance and chrominance values for eachpixel using a color matrixing procedure to create three color valuesrepresenting a color image; and displaying said color image.
 6. Ahierarchical display method according to claim 5 and further comprisingthe steps of:retrieving and decoding the remainder of said partitionedluminance images; combining all of said retrieved partitioned images toform a higher resolution luminance image; combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; and displayingsaid color image.
 7. A hierarchical display method according to claim 6and further comprising the steps of:interpolating said combinedretrieved luminance image to the dimensions of the next higherresolution level to form a prediction image; retrieving and decoding theluminance residual image corresponding to said next higher resolutionlevel; adding said residual image to said prediction image to form ahigher resolution luminance image; interpolating said first higherresolution chrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolutionluminance image; combining the luminance and chrominance values for eachpixel using a color matrixing procedure to create three color valuesrepresenting a color image; displaying said color image; and iteratingthese steps for each remaining luminance residual image where the inputsto the interpolation operations are the higher resolution images formedin the previous iteration.
 8. A hierarchical display method according toclaim 2 and further comprising the steps of:retrieving and decoding oneof said partitioned luminance images; retrieving and decoding said firstlowest resolution chrominance image; retrieving and decoding said secondlowest resolution chrominance image; combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; and displayingsaid color image.
 9. A hierarchical display method according to claim 8and further comprising the steps of:(a) retrieving and decoding at leastone of the remainder of said partitioned luminance images; (b) combiningall of said retrieved partitioned images to form a higher resolutionluminance image; (c) forming a first higher resolution chrominance imageby the following steps:interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolution luminanceimage; and retrieving and decoding said first chrominance residual imageif the dimensions of said chrominance residual image are equal to thedimensions of said higher resolution luminance image and combining saidchrominance residual image with said interpolated chrominance image; (d)forming a second lowest resolution chrominance image by repeating (c)for said second lowest resolution chrominance image; (e) combining theluminance and chrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixingprocedure to create three color values representing a color image; and(f) displaying said color image.
 10. A hierarchical display methodaccording to claim 9 and further comprising the steps of:retrieving anddecoding the remainder of said partitioned luminance images; combiningall of said retrieved partitioned images to form a higher resolutionluminance image; combining the luminance and chrominance values for eachpixel using a color matrixing procedure to create three color valuesrepresenting a color image; and displaying said color image.
 11. Ahierarchical display method according to claim 10 and further comprisingthe steps of:(a) interpolating said combined retrieved luminance imageto the dimensions of the next higher resolution level to form aprediction image; (b) retrieving and decoding the luminance residualimage corresponding to said next higher resolution level; (c) addingsaid residual image to said prediction image to form a higher resolutionluminance image; (d) forming a first higher resolution chrominance imageby the following steps:interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolution luminanceimage; and retrieving and decoding said first chrominance residual imageif the dimensions of said chrominance residual image are equal to thedimensions of said higher resolution luminance image and combining saidchrominance residual image with said interpolated chrominance image; (e)forming a second higher resolution chrominance image by repeating (d)for said second lowest resolution chrominance image; (f) combining theluminance and chrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixingprocedure to create three color values representing a color image; (g)displaying said color image; and (h) iterating these steps for eachremaining luminance residual image.
 12. A hierarchical display methodaccording to claim 3 and further comprising the steps of:retrieving anddecoding one of said partitioned luminance images; retrieving anddecoding the lowest resolution image formed from said first chrominanceimage; retrieving and decoding the lowest resolution image formed fromsaid second chrominance image; combining the luminance and chrominancevalues for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure to create threecolor values representing a color image; and displaying said colorimage.
 13. A hierarchical display method according to claim 12 andfurther comprising the steps of:(a) retrieving and decoding at least oneof the remainder of said partitioned luminance images; (b) combining allof said retrieved partitioned images to form a higher resolutionluminance image; (c) forming a first higher resolution chrominance imageby the following steps:interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolution luminanceimage; and retrieving and decoding one chrominance residual image fromsaid first set of chrominance residual images if the dimensions of saidchrominance residual image are equal to the dimensions of said higherresolution luminance image and combining said chrominance residual imagewith said interpolated chrominance image; (d) forming a second higherresolution chrominance image by repeating (c) for said lowest resolutionchrominance image; (e) combining the luminance and chrominance valuesfor each pixel using a color matrixing procedure to create three colorvalues representing a color image; and (f) displaying said color image.14. A hierarchical display method according to claim 13 and furthercomprising the steps of:retrieving and decoding the remainder of saidpartitioned luminance images; combining all of said retrievedpartitioned images to form a higher resolution luminance image;combining the luminance and chrominance values for each pixel using acolor matrixing procedure to create three color values representing acolor image; and displaying said color image.
 15. A hierarchical displaymethod according to claim 14 and further comprising the steps of:(a)interpolating said combined retrieved luminance image to the dimensionsof the next higher resolution level to form a prediction image; (b)retrieving and decoding the luminance residual image corresponding tosaid next higher resolution level; (c) adding said residual image tosaid prediction image to form a higher resolution luminance image; (d)forming a first higher resolution chrominance image by the followingsteps:interpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image tothe dimensions of said higher resolution luminance image; and retrievingand decoding one chrominance residual image from said first set ofchrominance residual images if the dimensions of said chrominanceresidual image are equal to the dimensions of said higher resolutionluminance image and combining said chrominance residual image with saidinterpolating chrominance image; (e) forming a second higher resolutionchrominance image by repeating (d) for said second lowest resolutionchrominance image; (f) combining the luminance and chrominance valuesfor each pixel using a color matrixing procedure to create three colorvalues representing a color image; (g) displaying said color image; and(h) iterating these steps for each remaining luminance residual image.16. A hierarchical storage method for color images comprising the stepsof:(a) forming a digital representation of the image wherein each pixelin said representation is associated with three color values; (b)combining the three color values for each pixel using a color matrixingprocedure to form a luminance image and two chrominance images; (c)decomposing said luminance image according to the following steps:1.lowpass filtering and subsampling said luminance image to form a lowerresolution luminance image;
 2. interpolating said lower resolutionluminance image to the dimensions of the higher resolution luminanceimage to form a prediction image;
 3. subtracting said prediction imagefrom the higher resolution luminance image to form a luminance residualimage;
 4. encoding and storing said luminance residual image; and 5.creating a plurality of encoded and stored luminance residual images ofdifferent resolutions by iterating steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 where the inputto the lowpass filtering and subsampling operation at each iteration isthe lower resolution luminance image formed in the previous iteration;(d) encoding and storing the lowest resolution luminance image formed in(c); (e) further decomposing said lowest resolution luminance image intoa plurality of lower resolution luminance base images by iterativelylowpass filtering and subsampling said image to create one or more lowerresolution images; (f) encoding and storing said lower resolution baseimages; (g) decomposing a first of said chrominance images according tothe following steps:
 1. lowpass filtering and subsampling saidchrominance image to form a lower resolution chrominance image; and2.iterating step 1 until the dimensions of said lower resolutionchrominance image are equal to the dimensions of the lowest resolutionluminance image where the input to the lowpass filtering and subsamplingoperation at each iteration is the lower resolution chrominance imageformed in the previous iteration; (h) encoding and storing the lowestresolution chrominance image formed in (g); and (i) repeating (g) and(h) for said second chrominance image to create, encode, and store asecond lowest resolution chrominance image.
 17. A hierarchical storagemethod according to claim 16 and further comprising the steps of:(a)interpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image to thedimensions of a corresponding higher resolution chrominance image toform a prediction image; (b) subtracting said prediction image from saidhigher resolution chrominance image to form a chrominance residualimage; (c) encoding and storing said first chrominance residual image;and (d) repeating (a), (b), and (c) for said second lowest resolutionchrominance image to create, encode, and store a second chrominanceresidual image.
 18. A hierarchical storage method according to claim 16and further comprising the steps of:(a) interpolating said first lowestresolution chrominance image to the dimensions of a corresponding higherresolution chrominance image to form a prediction image; (b) subtractingsaid prediction image from said higher resolution chrominance image toform a chrominance residual image; (c) creating a first set ofchrominance residual images of different resolutions by iterating thefollowing steps:applying (a) one or more times on the higher resolutionchrominance image used in the previous iteration to form a predictionimage; and applying (b) wherein said prediction image is subtracted fromthe higher resolution chrominance image of the same dimensions as saidprediction image; (d) encoding and storing said first set of chrominanceresidual images; and (e) repeating (a), (b), (c) and (d) for said secondlowest resolution chrominance image to create, encode, and store asecond set of chrominance residual images.
 19. A hierarchical displaymethod according to claim 16 and further comprising the stepsof:retrieving and decoding said lowest resolution luminance base image;retrieving and decoding said first lowest resolution chrominance image;retrieving and decoding said second lowest resolution chrominance image;combining the luminance and chrominance values for each pixel using acolor matrixing procedure to crate three color values representing acolor image; and displaying said color image.
 20. A hierarchical displaymethod according to claim 19 and further comprising the stepsof:retrieving and decoding the next higher resolution luminance baseimage; forming a first higher resolution chrominance image byinterpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image to thedimensions of said higher luminance resolution base image; forming asecond higher resolution chrominance image by interpolating said secondlowest resolution chrominance image to the dimensions of said higherresolution luminance base image; combining the luminance and chrominancevalues for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure to create threecolor values representing a color image; displaying said color image;and iterating these steps for the remaining luminance base images andsaid lowest resolution luminance image.
 21. A hierarchical displaymethod according to claim 20 and further comprising the stepsof:interpolating said lowest resolution luminance image to thedimensions of the next higher resolution level to form a predictionimage; retrieving and decoding the luminance residual imagecorresponding to said next higher resolution level; adding said residualimage to said prediction image to form a higher resolution luminanceimage; interpolating said first higher resolution chrominance image tothe dimensions of said higher resolution luminance image; interpolatingsaid second higher resolution chrominance image to the dimensions ofsaid higher resolution luminance image; combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; displaying saidcolor image; and iterating these steps for each remaining luminanceresidual image.
 22. A hierarchical display method according to claim 17and further comprising the steps of:retrieving and decoding said lowestresolution luminance image; retrieving and decoding said first lowestresolution chrominance image; retrieving and decoding said second lowestresolution chrominance image; combining the luminance and chrominancevalues for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure to create threecolor values representing a color image; and displaying said colorimage.
 23. A hierarchical display method according to claim 22 andfurther comprising the steps of:(a) retrieving and decoding the nexthigher resolution luminance base image; (b) forming a first higherresolution chrominance image by the following steps:interpolating saidfirst lowest resolution chrominance image to the dimensions of saidhigher resolution luminance base image; and retrieving and decoding saidfirst chrominance residual image if the dimensions of said chrominanceresidual image are equal to the dimensions of said higher resolutionluminance base image and combining said chrominance residual image withsaid interpolated chrominance image; (c) forming a second higherresolution chrominance image by repeating (b) for said second lowestresolution chrominance image; (d) combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocrate three color values representing a color image; (e) displaying saidcolor image; and (f) iterating these steps for the remaining luminancebase images and said lowest resolution luminance image.
 24. Ahierarchical display method according to claim 23 and further comprisingthe steps of:(a) interpolating said lowest resolution luminance image tothe dimensions of the next higher resolution level to form a predictionimage; (b) retrieving and decoding the luminance residual imagecorresponding to said next higher resolution level; (c) adding saidresidual image to said prediction image to form a higher resolutionluminance image; (d) forming a first higher resolution chrominance imageby the following steps:interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolution luminanceimage; and retrieving and decoding said first chrominance residual imageif the dimensions of said chrominance residual image are equal to thedimensions of said higher resolution luminance image and combining saidchrominance residual image with said interpolated chrominance image; (e)forming a second higher resolution chrominance image by repeating (d)for said second lowest resolution chrominance image; (f) combining theluminance and chrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixingprocedure to create three color values representing a color image; (g)displaying said color image; and (h) iterating these steps for eachremaining luminance residual image.
 25. A hierarchical display methodaccording to claim 18 and further comprising the steps of:retrieving anddecoding said lowest resolution luminance base image; retrieving anddecoding said first lowest resolution chrominance image; retrieving anddecoding said second lowest resolution chrominance image; combining theluminance and chrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixingprocedure to create three color values representing a color image; anddisplaying said color image.
 26. A hierarchical display method accordingto claim 25 and further comprising the steps of:(a) retrieving anddecoding the next higher resolution luminance base image; (b) forming afirst higher resolution chrominance image by the followingsteps:interpolating said first lowest resolution chrominance image tothe dimensions of said higher resolution luminance base image; andretrieving and decoding one chrominance residual image from said firstset of chrominance residual images if the dimensions of said chrominanceresidual image are equal to the dimensions of said higher resolutionluminance base image and combining said chrominance residual image withsaid interpolated chrominance image; (c) forming a second higherresolution chrominance image by repeating (b) for said second lowestresolution chrominance image; (d) combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; (e) displayingsaid color image; and (f) iterating these steps for the remainingluminance base images and said lowest resolution luminance image.
 27. Ahierarchical display method according to claim 26 and further comprisingthe steps of:(a) interpolating said lowest resolution luminance image tothe dimensions of the next higher resolution level to form a predictionimage; (b) retrieving and decoding the luminance residual imagecorresponding to said next higher resolution level; (c) adding saidresidual image to said prediction image to form a higher resolutionluminance image; (d) forming a first higher resolution chrominance imageby the following steps:interpolating said first lowest resolutionchrominance image to the dimensions of said higher resolution luminanceimage; and retrieving and decoding one chrominance residual image fromsaid first set of chrominance residual images if the dimensions of saidchrominance residual image are equal to the dimensions of said higherresolution luminance image and combining said chrominance residual imagewith said interpolated chrominance image; (e) forming a second higherresolution chrominance image by repeating (d) for said second lowestresolution chrominance image; (f) combining the luminance andchrominance values for each pixel using a color matrixing procedure tocreate three color values representing a color image; (g) displayingsaid color image; and (h) iterating there steps for each remainingluminance residual image.